Chichester’s Poppy Appeal launched

CHICHESTER’S Poppy Appeal was launched with the help of a budding singer songwriter.

Members of the Royal British Legion gathered outside the Assembly Rooms in North Street to mark the beginning of their 2011 appeal.

Bognor Regis musician Kate Fletcher has been supporting the legion in its fundraising efforts since the summer.

The 19-year-old said: “It’s a really good charity to raise money for. I got involved to help out by raising money and collecting things to sell – people need to know about this.”

Chichester’s deputy mayor Anne Scicluna, who has volunteered in previous years for the appeal, was at the launch on Saturday.

“It is an honour to be asked to be helping out with this,” she said. “We do hope more and more people will offer to help and volunteer.”

The Poppy Appeal in the city raises £40,000 a year for the Royal British Legion; that money goes towards helping support servicemen and women and their families affected by conflict.

President of the Chichester Royal British Legion Graham Matthews was keen to stress it was not just those from past wars who are helped. “The legion does not just look after the older generation,” he said. “But we work with the Afghan and Iraqi generation, and those currently serving.”

This Saturday and Sunday, and on Saturday, November 12, three restored military vehicles will be on display alongside the Cathedral’s Bell Tower in West Street and will act as a manned static poppy point. And until November 12, there will be a second poppy point underneath the arches outside the Assembly Rooms in North Street.

On Friday, November 11, at 11am there will be a short service of remembrance and two minutes of silence will take place at The Cross.

There will be three other acts of remembrance in the city: the first at 9am at the Field of Remembrance at the city crematorium, then at 9.30am at the city cemetery and finally at 10.30am at Litten Gardens.